Insulated containers, also called “coolers,” are prevalent in contemporary life. Insulated containers are often used for picnics or for outdoor activities such as camping or sporting events. In addition, insulated containers are becoming more prevalent in the medical industry, where they are used to move transplant organs and other articles that need to remain cold during transport. Also, the need to transport commercial goods such as perishable food, drink, medicine, and environmental samples is becoming more important.
Some insulated containers have lids that are attached with various devices, such as hinges. One downside to current insulated containers having attached lids is that considerable labor is required to properly attach a lid to the main body of an insulated container. Often manufacturing such containers requires assembling various parts that need to be properly aligned and fitted together. For example, lids are often attached to coolers using screws that attach hinges to the cooler's main body and lid. Metal plates may be used inside the cooler's main body and lid in order to add strength to the connection between the cooler's body and lid. Considerable manufacturing tolerances must be maintained to ensure that the holes of the hinges properly align with the holes of the plate and that, once the hinges are attached, the complete assembly fits together properly.
Therefore, manufacturing coolers can involve significant amounts of labor and materials, which is expensive. Moreover, because assembled insulated containers are often too large to ship economically, labor for an insulated container may not be performed at more cost efficient labor areas, such as overseas.